TRINQUET , Hervé

The laser source for the gravitational wave detector VIRGO is designed to deliver a stable, continuous, single frequency 20 W beam at 1.064 μm. I first review the main requirements for the design of the laser source. Then I give the architecture and techniques used to stabilize the laser beam, and the performances of the system: until July 2002...

International audience

Dome C in Antarctica is a particular astronomical site when considering the optical turbulence conditions. From the first winterover campaign performed in 2005 at Dome C, the set of 34 meteorological balloon profiles has been analyzed. The meteorological balloons were equipped with microthermal sensors used to sense the vertical profile of the...

During the austral winter 2005, the first astronomical site testing campaign were performed at Dome C, in Antarctica. Thirty-five meteorological balloons equipped with microthermal sensors were used to sense the vertical profile of the optical turbulence intensity above Dome C up to 20 km. All the profiles of the 2005 campaign are statistically...

The idea of starting an astronomical site testing in Antarctica began during a congress organized by French Académie des Sciences, in 1992, and entitled 'Recherches polaires-Une Stratégie pour l'an 2000'. At this time, one of us (Vernin 1994) gave a proposal for an astronomical site testing in Antarctica. This proposal was rapidly followed by a...